Coloratura, my daughter attended The same precollege program. It did not guarantee her or her cohort an open door. Likewise they were not guaranteed open doors for grad school. It’s a wonderful school and their admission process has integrity. No guarantees.
I wasn’t talking about kids not having to play well because of some “in” at the institution. A talented kid who is a jerk or rude or exhibits bizarre behavior is certainly not going to be a slam dunk, especially when it comes to convincing the rest of the string department. Kids should always be trying to do their best, but would a broken string really keep a kid out of Juilliard ? Of course there are no guarantees. What if a teacher suddenly has a chance to get a kid they wanted earlier in the process but couldn’t and now that kid is available? Somebody, great audition or not , is going to be going somewhere else. Sorry, I won’t edit posts so severely in the future- I didn’t know anyone read these things real time. 
I said it opened doors, not that that guaranteed anything… but a pre screen waive at 4 top schools is a start. My DD has been invited and been given a scholarship to sing at 2 EU VP programs this coming summer that she would not have been able to do only because of her pre college teacher.
I do see doors opening, but no guarantees. It’s up to her to audition well on the day and have the best possible application.
I never said guarantees, ever. But you can count on the pre screen waive, at least at the pre college my daughter attends. That’s what I said.
I’m just not into people rubbishing things that their child was never part of. It’s a thread on CC and it’s not cool, IMHO.
hahaaa @jb1966…it was a severe edit and now I’ve ended up taking about something I wasn’t really talking about.
ahhhh, too late for my brain!
@job1966- I don’t know if you’re aware of what happens to prescreens at schools, but it may not be what you think. They don’t listen to 3 or 4 pieces, there isn’t time for that, and often the folks going through the prescreens are not even the ones for that department! At one conservatory where much of the faculty hold chairs in the orchestra and thus are are away on tour during the time when the recordings come in, those who remain at school go through the prescreens- so a wind player might be hearing a cellist, etc. One conservatory began requiring prescreens for a discipline because they felt pressured to do so to- they never listened to them, everyone was granted an audition! This year, we are seeing schools dropping the prescreen requirement for many because they’re realizing that a lot of kids:
A) Don’t have the funds to make top quality recordings
B) Don’t come across as well in a recording as they do in person- this is particularly true for young singers
C) There have been ongoing questions/concerns with audio recordings (for schools that allow them) as to the honesty of some of the submissions.They are not that hard to edit notes/sections
It’s also important for them to get the student in for an audition because remember, these kids are going to be performers. They want to see a kid who can put it together when called upon to “perform” and not fall apart with nerves. Yes, that wouldn’t be common at this level, but there are kids who are there to please their parents, not themselves- some of us have known them- and they quit the second they are old enough to make that run on their own.
@coloraturakid - You “know I don’t like it”? Please don’t speak for me. Precollege programs provide a wonderful education to those students who are fortunate enough to be able to live in an area where they exist. I think of them with the same caveat as glassharmonica though, they are opportunities and not a guarantee.
Again, where did I ever say or infer that an opened door was a guarantee? Perhaps my definition of the term is different than what it means in the U.S.? That’s possible.
Opportunities open doors. full stop, Then it’s up to the student to bound threw them and make things happen from there on in. Sadky there are far too many VP programs and far too many students in them who are never going to be professional performers. Pre college programs allow young musicians to know early on if they have what it takes to go for the long haul. Some of these schools programs and admissions have more integrity than others as @glassharmonica mentioned, that’s an important gauge in the equation as well. I know a stellar East Coast conservatory that has a massive pre college that funds many other programs and has gotten less selective over the past few years.
(apologies, I won’t speak for you @ Mezzo’sMama. )
I realize that you both have children that are finished with UG degrees and I believe grad school and beyond…So I am keen to hear what you have to offer the senior parent ‘newbies’, but we also have experiences that are valid. Unless you spend all day, everyday in a VP studio at a conservatory/uni, on the payroll, etc, I will assume we are all just parents at different cross roads in that esteemed career. Thanks.
Best of luck to your daughter. (You’re a little off the mark in your assessment of me, but I have not updated much lately because these anonymous boards are more transparent than one might think.)
I wasn’t assessing you personally @glassharmonica. I’m just curious why people hang about here if they don’t have a student actively seeking a teacher/studio/school acceptance. Maybe some work at a school/institute? I know some are touting for business; trying to be college consultants. I’m just a parent looking for insight and answers. Thanks for the luck. I appreciate it greatly.
To answer your question @coloraturakid, those of us with who no longer have students actively seeking placement are here to pay it forward. We received a lot of help from those who had gone before us when we were in your position and are trying to do the same.
I’m definitely not trying to be a college consultant! But I hope my experiences will help others - isn’t that the point? If this was just populated by folks going through the music school application process for the first time, it would not be nearly as valuable. I think this conversation has veered away from “music school visits” into interesting territory that could be a whole other post. ( I, for one, don’t look at the conservatory prep programs as purely feeder programs for college)
Thank you Thank You @Singersmom07! Much appreciated.
Yes, @drummergirl. perhaps we should do that on another thread. Thanks for the insight. What I meant ( the written word is SO easily misinterpreted and misconstrued) is how I cannot believe people have the time and inclination so many years later. Watch this space…I’ll still be here in a decade. Ha!
(Well, I do have an 11 year old)
Coloratura, you wrote,
That sounds like a personal assessment, unless you meant someone other than me, which is entirely possible. It’s often hard to track these threads.
When I was first going through this process I was certainly glad for the advice of parents who had a longer view. Anyway, I have four kids.
@glassharmonica : To be fair you mentioned Pre college ,UG and G in post #380,( can you also teach me how to copy and paste on CCas I failed at that!) but I meant that there are more than one who have been here a long while. I didn’t mean to pry or be rude, absolutely not meant that way at all.
Regarding the talk in the past few posts about paying it forward- keep it up everyone! With my daughter now heading into auditions it scares me a bit to think where either she or I would be without the advice gleaned from this forum over the past couple of years . Thank you all!
@coloraturakid - The truth is a number of us who have been on this forum for many many years have become friends - it is a community where we can share with other parents of musical kids - and share our knowledge with young students who are starting down this road. Music is a small world, and not one highly valued in the current state of things - it’s important to reinforce the bond between us all.
And now back to music school visits? 
Oh, and it does not end. DD is now doing the YAP curcuit auditions. I am just not involved with them except to get updates and to be a sympathetic shoulder. Can’t get much advice anymore. The advice from before, do not get in debt, is what applies. But you had to heed that early. YAP audtions are very expensive.
sorry - replying to earlier post and did not realize it had gone on. Now back to your regularly scheduled program …
Have VPs and parents of ever considered a category of your own ? VPs seem to have entirely different experiences than say, your average french horn player and a lot of what you are talking about, I assume by your earnestness and passion is true, sounds very foreign for this instrumentalist parent. You guys seem to have such unique encounters with the system.
Why some of us still comment even though our kids are juniors ? Some of it is repay- I really did get some great tips about dealing with process, some is ongoing - our kid does summer programs and now is looking at grad schools and some of it is what I call “the wood floor syndrome”, as in " I put wood floors into my house and I learned SO much about putting wood floors into a house, but if I did it correctly I’ll never use this hard won knowledge again". It seems such a waste to learn all these things and then just forget them. Sometimes I wish I had another kid to put through music school…no WAIT! What am I thinking?
“Now back to your regularly scheduled program …”
but @singersmom07 I pulled up my chair and I just got my popcorn.